It’s not just about the food — it’s about where we eat it

There’s nothing quite like the screech of a chair being slid across the floor in the library building cafeteria. The metal chair leg connecting with the concrete tile is a sound that can be likened to fingernails on a chalkboard, only infinitely louder because of the close confines in which diners find themselves.

The cafeteria in the library building is one of the least welcoming places to eat. The dining area is small, the tables are wobbly, the chairs not only screech when moved but are hard and uncomfortable to sit on. Furthermore, the proximity of diners to the bathrooms is less than appetizing.

In the Hall building there are more options for places to eat, but they aren’t anymore welcoming. Java-U requires that you buy one of its over-priced sandwiches or beverages to sit in its comfortable dining area. The Zest Dining Hall on the seventh floor of the Hall building also requires you to buy from them if you want to eat in its dining space.

If you brought your food from home you can sit in the cafe on the fourth floor of the Hall building, where the tables are small and seating is cramped. You could try to get a seat in one of the booths, also on the fourth floor, but they are usually taken.

If you want, the seventh floor offers plenty of tables, chairs and couches from which to eat on. Unfortunately, if you can’t grab a proper table and chair you will be forced to eat from either your lap while sitting on a couch or armchair, or else by bending over the low tables that resemble the ones found in living rooms.

The Loyola campus provides even less comfortable dining space. If you’re not in the cafeteria, where it’s noisy and the chairs are plastic, you have to go searching for a random and sparingly placed table or chair, although you can’t always find both together. There is usually a cluster of tables and chairs around the cafés, but seating is limited and again not very comfortable.

The best place to eat at either campus is arguably the G-lounge which provides plenty of tables and chairs and a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy one’s food. Furthermore, said food doesn’t have to have been purchased from the G-lounge in order to dine there.

Other than the G-lounge, most of the dining areas provided by Concordia invite scarfing down one’s food as quickly as possible, rather than taking a much needed break and enjoying one’s food.

A typical student has a jam-packed day and good nutrition is an important part of being able to keep up with a busy schedule. Better, more comfortable dining spaces would provide students with the opportunity to pause, relax and enjoy their food, rather than rushing to eat because seating is limited, it’s crowded and they’re sitting somewhere unpleasant.

In light of the fact that the CSU and Concordia are both looking to overhaul the food offered on campus, they should also consider overhauling the dining areas.